


The Darkness Within

by ayazuri



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Established Relationship, Evergreen and Bickslow are only mentioned, Freed-centric, M/M, The Raijinshuu, Torture, but also not to graphic, freed the dark, some depictions of violence but nothing too graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 01:36:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18064094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayazuri/pseuds/ayazuri
Summary: "But then again, they all consisted of hundreds – thousands maybe – carefully sketched images, put on display accordingly to the occasion. He wasn’t an exception in this matter. There was only this one difference that his other selves were darker, and more cruel, and more vicious, than those belonging to others."There's darkness inside Freed, and God help anyone who provokes him by threating his loved ones.





	The Darkness Within

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically very self-indulgent fic, resolving around my favourite mage Freed Justine, with a bit of fraxus thrown in because I ship them so hard. The story doesn't have any specific plot, doesn't end in any sublime manner but I hope it's still quite enjoyable piece. A word of warning - there's some violence and torture but it's nothing explicit. But just to stay on the safe side - if you absolutely can't stomach any kind of violence, better don't read.  
> What's more? English is not my first language, hence some mistakes can occur. I'd love to hear what you think on the piece so comment freely!  
> Enjoy! xoxo

The sound of bone cracking was sickening. And the scream that came only a second after – _oh, there was nothing human in this scream –_ froze soul to its very essence.

 

_Huh._

 

The leg gave out faster than Freed had expected. His lips twitched upwards in a cruel manner. He took in the view of his opponent – _or should he say victim?_ \- writhing on the floor at his feet. He counted seconds as they passed, muting mechanically high-pitched yelps, trying to calculate the right moment to ask the question.

‘Let me ask you again’ he started after several more seconds, his voice deep and dark. ‘Where are my friends?’

Freed stepped an inch closer to shrunken, trembling body and the man winced, making a weak attempt at getting farther away from him. The sight filled Freed with disgust.

The man in front of him was a member of a dark guild they were assigned to take down. He hadn’t bothered memorizing the name of it. But those scumbags had had the audacity to set a trap for them – for Laxus and the Raijinshuu – took them by surprise, and managed to split them. Freed was enraged. Not because he didn’t believe in his teammates’ abilities. The problem was, those fuckers turned out to be more challenging, than they had assumed. Freed had already defeated four of them and it hadn’t exactly been a walk in the park. It made him only the slightest bit worried, nothing more, but the knowledge of his friends’ whereabouts would definitely placate his uneasiness. Freed did not enjoy feeling uneasiness.

No reply came. Freed titled his head to the side contemplatively. Stubborn asshole this man was. He felt darkness stirring contently inside him. Oh, how much fun would come out of it!

‘So?’ he prompted almost cheerfully but there was threat in his voice. ‘Would you tell me, or are we going to have some more fun together?’

The dark guild’s mage looked at him with the mixture of fear and loathing in his eyes. The kind of look Freed scorned, especially in creatures so meaningless as this man.

‘You-you’re a monster...’ the man choked out. That almost made Freed laugh. Almost. Normally he would’ve enjoyed one of the few opportunities, when he could fight the way he truly liked the most, but this time his patience was wearing thin. Finding Laxus and the rest of Raijinshuu was his priority now. He raised his rapier and before the man could say another word, the blade cut through the air with a whizz. Freed’s victim screamed in pain as the runes appeared on his body. Another slash and another pain inflicting runes. And then another, and a few more, until Freed lost count. He stopped only when the man didn’t have the strength to scream anymore. It would be bad if the guy passed out. This way he wouldn’t get the information he wanted. With a sight he let the rapier drop to his side. He tapped himself on the leg with the blade in contemplative manner.

‘Are you willing to talk yet?’ Freed was beginning to tire with all the questioned he asked – and had asked – and never got an answer for. After a moment of weak whimpers, he figured he was not going to get an answer this time, either. So he decided to get back to work. When he began raising his rapier again, the man howled hopelessly and turned his head with great effort. The look in his eyes depicted terror mixed with the last ounces of sanity. _Ah._ Finally we’re getting somewhere, Freed thought.

‘I-I know y-you!’ the man rasped out, his voice hoarse from all the screaming and barely audible. ‘You’re F-Freed the Dark!’

Now this was a surprise. Freed didn’t expect anyone in this rotten place to know him, not to mention know him by this name. But this could prove to be useful, he decided after a second of consideration.

‘Then you know this is only a warm up.’ Freed stated calmly. The dark guild’s mage swallowed hard and Freed was impressed that the fear alone hadn’t killed him yet. ‘Where are my friends?’

The man swallowed another three times before finally answering.

‘L-left wing of the guild’ he said weakly. Freed waited for a moment in case the man decided to share further, but nothing of the sort happened. So he sighed, disappointed, and made the mage suffer some more, biding farewell in his own cruel manner.

‘I swear, scumbags like you don’t deserve to die a merciful death.’ he muttered under his breath, walking off to search for the others. Pitiful cries echoed in corridors even when Freed was already far away from his victim.

 

 

Laxus was the first one Freed found, of course it was him. It was always him in the end. Well actually, they found each other, almost simultaneously.

‘Freed!’

There was this faint trace of unusual concern in Laxus’ voice, the one reserved to Freed and only to him. The rune mage thought absently that dragon slayer’s abilities surely must have allowed Laxus to hear it all, to hear those sickeningly inhuman screams that no other than Freed prompted into existence. Bur then again, it didn’t bother him in the slightest. If there was one person in the world who knew Freed to the core, it was Laxus. He could try and hide his deepest and darkest secrets, the darkest and bloodiest sides of his existence, but Laxus would see through it anyway. And right now, he couldn’t hear anything, but poorly hidden concern in this voice he would follow to the world’s end. The realization brought on a sincere smile on Freed’s face. Such a contrast to what had happened just mere minutes ago. Freed often wondered how many sides of his own self actually existed, how many faces lied beneath his skin. But then again, they all consisted of hundreds – thousands maybe – carefully sketched images, put on display, according to the occasion. He wasn’t an exception in this matter. There was only that his other selves were darker, and more cruel, and more vicious, than those belonging to others.

‘I’m all right.’ he assured Laxus the second the man came into his view. Despite his words, Laxus took a moment to carefully examine him, head to toes. There was this passion in his eyes, the one that Freed had seen on a few occasions before, the one that spoke for itself – _I will make you suffer, I will end you if I find out you hurt what’s dear to me._

There was _love_ in his eyes, the look that only Freed got to see, and no one else.

Laxus closed the distance between them almost completely, he stopped bare inches before pressing his chest to Freed’s. The rune mage saw the twitch in his arms’ muscles that signalized that Laxus wanted to embrace him, pull him close to his chest, engulf him in the safety of his body. But he didn’t do it. Laxus was always very careful with displaying his affection in public, on missions especially. Freed wasn’t the one for showing off something so private such easily, either, so it never bothered him in the slightest. With a smile still on his face, he placed his hand on Laxus’ shoulder and squeezed it gently. His eyes found the stormy grey ones.

‘I’m here and I’m fine’ he whispered. He felt muscles relaxing under his touch, the tension leaving dragon slayer’s body. Laxus closed his eyes and sighted. He leaned in a bit, their foreheads almost touched. His large hand came up to cover Freed’s smaller one, and caressed it gently.

‘Yeah, you’re here.’ he whispered back, not moving, not opening his eyes, just breathing in Freed’s scent, just _feeling_ him.

‘We should go find Bix and Ever.’ Freed spoke after some time. Laxus nodded in agreement and they both simultaneously stepped away from each other. There was work to be done first.

‘They should be close, I can hear them’ Laxus said, turning his head to the side, probably listening. He grinned. ‘They completely demolished their enemies.’

Freed chuckled.

‘Of course they did.’

‘And that man you were fighting...’ Laxus trailed off, not knowing how to actually ask what happened out there. Freed shrugged because there wasn’t much to talk about. As he supposed, Laxus heard everything.

‘He pissed me off.’ he said simply. Laxus grin spread wider on his face.

‘Of course he did.’


End file.
